'They're enemies like India' | Khawaja Asif defends killing of 32 PoK protestors

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has sparked fresh controversy after defending the crackdown on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying he regarded the demonstrators as "enemies like India." His remarks came amid escalating violence in the Rawalakot region, where, according to local groups, at least 32 protesters have been killed over the past two days. In a video widely shared on social media platform X, Asif is heard saying, "I put the protesters of Azad Kashmir in the same category as India and consider them also as enemies like India."

The latest unrest adds to months of tension in PoK, where local organisations claim that more than 90 people have been killed since June 5. Videos circulating on social media purportedly show Pakistani security personnel opening fire on civilians in Mirpur before loading bodies into official vehicles. Most of those reported killed were linked to the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been at the forefront of protests alleging human rights violations in the region. Among those reported dead was Usman Nazir, the younger brother of JAAC founding member Umar Nazir.

The JAAC has continued to accuse Pakistani security forces of using live ammunition against peaceful demonstrators in Rawalakot and Mirpur. In a series of posts on X, the group alleged that security personnel were firing on unarmed civilians and claimed that young activists had been specifically targeted. It also criticised sections of the Pakistani media for portraying protesters as aggressors, insisting that the demonstrations were taking place in their own towns and were aimed at resisting what it described as Islamabad's continued repression in the region. Pakistan's authorities have not publicly responded to the latest allegations.